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Functional disorders of the small intestine
1Department of Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Seminars in Gastrointestinal Disease
|October 1, 1996
Summary
Functional gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) involve small bowel sensorimotor disturbances. IBS patients show altered motility and mechanoreceptor hypersensitivity, potentially linked to stress responses and personality traits.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Neurogastroenterology
- Physiology
Background:
- Sensorimotor disturbances in the small bowel are increasingly recognized as key factors in functional gastrointestinal disorders.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by altered interdigestive and postprandial small bowel motility patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of sensorimotor dysfunction in the small bowel in the context of functional gastrointestinal disorders, particularly IBS.
- To explore the relationship between altered small bowel motility, mechanoreceptor hypersensitivity, and abdominal pain in IBS patients.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on small bowel motility in IBS.
- Analysis of studies demonstrating mechanoreceptor hypersensitivity in the small bowel of IBS patients.
- Exploration of potential links between personality traits, stress responses, and sensorimotor disturbances.
Main Results:
- Specific peristaltic contractions in the ileum are more frequent in some IBS patients, correlating with abdominal pain.
- IBS patients exhibit selective mechanoreceptor hypersensitivity in the small bowel.
- Evidence suggests personality traits and heightened sympathetic responses to stressors may contribute to sensorimotor disturbances.
Conclusions:
- Small bowel sensorimotor dysfunction, including altered motility and hypersensitivity, plays a significant role in IBS pathogenesis.
- Afferent pathway dysfunction is a critical component of IBS, potentially influenced by psychological factors.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex interplay between sensorimotor control, pain perception, and psychological factors in IBS.